Feminine cooling pad

ABSTRACT

A feminine cooling pad is configured for use in cooling a woman&#39;s vulva and/or adjacent region. The cooling pad may be configured for single use and be disposable so as to include a liquid permeable layer configured to be oriented toward a user&#39;s skin during use. A liquid absorbent layer is adjacent to the liquid permeable layer and configured to absorb bodily fluids or discharges during use. A cooling layer is adjacent to the liquid absorbent layer and configured to provide a cooling effect for a period of time of at least about 15 minutes when the cooling pad is placed against a user&#39;s skin. An adhesive layer is adjacent to the cooling layer and adheres the feminine cooling pad to a user&#39;s undergarment during use and maintains the cooling pad in a desired orientation relative to the user&#39;s body. A feminine heating pad may be provided by including a microwavable material that becomes warm or hot when placed in a microwave oven.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/376,293, filed Aug. 24, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is in the field of feminine cooling pads.

2. Relevant Technology

A common problem experienced by women is discomfort of the vulva,perineum, and surrounding regions. Such discomfort can have a variety ofcauses, including but not limited to, vaginal itching and burning as aresult of infection (e.g., yeast infection), urethral pain orinflammation as a result of infection (e.g., urinary tract infection),vaginal varicosity (e.g., during pregnancy), damage to the perineumfollowing child birth, and chronic inflammation (e.g., atopicdermatitis).

While various ways of cooling the perineum have been proposed, none havegained acceptance in the market place. Perhaps this is due toinconvenience in the mode of application and/or poor design, causingadditional discomfort. If a product is inconvenient and hard to useand/or causes discomfort it will fail in the market place.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,315 to Patel and U.S. Patent Publication No.2007/0142807 to Lee et al. are examples of cooling devices for theperineum that have been proposed. These devices have certain designaspects that limit their usefulness and effectiveness. Accordingly,there remains a need to provide a feminine cooling pad that is designedto more comfortably and conveniently cool and provide relief to thevulva and/or adjacent regions of a woman's body.

SUMMARY

Disclosed are embodiments of feminine cooling pads that provide reliefand comfort for women experiencing pain or discomfort of the vulvaand/or adjacent regions. According to one embodiment, a self-containedfeminine cooling pad that requires no special manipulation or loading ofa cooling element prior to use is provided. The feminine cooling pad ofthis embodiment includes a cooling gel that can be placed in a coolingenvironment prior to use, such as a refrigerator or freezer, and thenremoved from the cooling environment and immediately placed over thevulva and/or adjacent region to provide relief and comfort withoutmanipulation or loading of a cooling element.

According to one embodiment, the cooling gel is advantageously smooth,flexible and/or moldable in order to maximize comfort and minimize oreliminate lumps or protruding regions of rigid material. As compared tocooling products that utilize ice chunks, a cooling gel that is smooth,flexible, and/or moldable is far more comfortable to wear and can moreevenly distribute the cooling action to the vulva and/or adjacentregion. And as compared to chemical cooling media (e.g., that are cooledby a chemical interaction between water and a salt such as a thiosulfatehaving a positive enthalpy of dissolution), a cooling gel that is cooledin a cooling environment prior to use can provide greater cooling and/orcooling for longer periods of time.

According to another embodiment, a feminine cooling pad is provided thatincludes an absorbent layer designed to be placed against the vulva, acooling layer adjacent to the absorbent layer, and an adhesive layeradjacent to the cooling layer designed to adhere the feminine coolingpad to an undergarment of the user. This keeps the feminine cooling padin the desired position while eliminating the need for cumbersomeattachment mechanisms, such as belts or harnesses, thereby enhancingcomfort and promoting compliance. The adhesive layer may include aremovable backing layer that protects the adhesive prior to use andwhich can be conveniently removed by the user just prior to use.Eliminating cumbersome belts or harnesses also yields a feminine coolingproduct that is less visually noticeable when worn beneath ordinaryclothing. This can provide enhanced assurance and emotional well beingso that the product can be worn in public with minimal embarrassmentcompared to products that produce unsightly undergarment bulges andlines.

According to one embodiment, the feminine cooling pad is elongated so asto provide cooling to the entire vulva and/or adjacent region. Thefeminine cooling pad can also have a length so as to extend against thewoman's perineum to provide cooling and relieve to the perineumfollowing child birth. The feminine cooling pad may also extend beyondthe perineum and over the anal region to provide cooling and relief tothat region if desired.

In the case where the feminine cooling pad is sufficiently flexible ormoldable when in a cooled condition just prior to use, the femininecooling pad can be flat. This permits several cooling pads to be stackedin a container that can be placed directly into a refrigerator orfreezer after purchase and an individual cooling pad withdrawn from thecontainer as needed just prior to use. This maximizes convenience to theuser by providing multiple cooling pads that can be used one after theother as needed and then discarded after use. The feminine cooling padsare advantageously disposable in order to maximize cleanliness to theuser and eliminate the need to clean and reuse the product.

In the case where the feminine cooling pad is substantially rigid whenin a cooled condition just prior to use, the feminine cooling pad mayassume a pre-curved orientation that approximates the curvature of theregion of a woman's body to which the product is designed to cover. Forexample, an elongated product can have an approximate U-shapedconfiguration in order to conform to the front and back of a woman'scrotch region and thereby minimize the amount of flexing that isrequired to conform the cooling pad to the woman's body prior to use.

The invention can be embodied as a kit of single-use absorbent pads(e.g., 10-25) and one or more reusable cooling gel packs that can beinserted and removed from a compartment within each pad. This permits acooling gel pack to be removed from a used pad and inserted into a freshpad (e.g., through a slit down the side of the absorbent pad). Closuremeans can be used to retain the cooling gel pack within the compartmentof the pad during use. In the case where the kit includes multiplesingle-use absorbent pads and two cooling gel packs, one gel pack can beplaced in the freezer while the other one is in use. When the userdecides to use a fresh cooling pad, the cooling gel pack is removed fromthe used pad and placed into the freezer, and the cold gel pack isremoved and placed into a fresh pad. This process can be repeatedindefinitely for any number of fresh absorbent pads.

These and other advantages and features of the present invention willbecome more fully apparent from the following description and appendedclaims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forthhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of thepresent invention, a more particular description of the invention willbe rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that thesedrawings depict only illustrated embodiments of the invention and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention willbe described and explained with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are top (or body facing) views of embodiments offeminine cooling pads;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are side (or cross-sectional) views of embodiments offeminine cooling pads; and

FIGS. 3A and 3B are bottom (or undergarment facing) views of embodimentsof feminine cooling pads.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate embodiments of feminine cooling pads according tothe disclosure. The smaller cooling pad shown in FIGS. 1A, 2A and 3A maybe characterized as a “light” product, while the larger cooling padshown in FIGS. 1B, 2B and 3B may be characterized as an “ultra” product.It will be appreciated that the feminine cooling pads can assume avariety of different sizes, thicknesses and/or configurations dependingon the particular needs and requirements of the user and/or the intendeduse of the product.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show top (or body facing) views of differently sizedfeminine cooling pads 100 showing an outer surface or layer 102 that isdesigned to be oriented toward the user's body. The outer surface orlayer 102 may comprise a layer of a soft woven or cloth material that issoft and comfortable to the touch in order to minimize discomfort whenplaced against the user's skin. In the case where a liquid absorbent pador layer is positioned beneath outer surface or layer 102 (see, e.g.,FIGS. 2A and 2B), outer surface or layer 102 is advantageously permeableto liquids so as to permit free passage of liquids (e.g., bodily fluidsor discharges) through outer surface or layer 102 and into the absorbentpad or layer.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show side (or cross sectional) views of differentlysized feminine cooling pads 100. The cooling pads 100 include the outersurface or layer 102 described above, an absorbent pad or layer 104adjacent to or near the outer surface or layer 102, a cooling gel layer106 adjacent to or near the absorbent pad or layer 104, and an adhesivestrip 108 with removable backing layer. The absorbent pad or layer 104and cooling gel layer 106 may be held together by means of an enclosure110. According to one embodiment, the enclosure 110 may be a plastictype enclosure to prevent leakage of bodily fluids from the absorbentpad or layer 104 from between the interface of the absorbent pad orlayer 104 and the cooling gel layer 106 during use. According to oneembodiment, the adhesive strip 108 may be attached to an outer surfaceof the enclosure 110. Alternatively, the adhesive strip 108 may beattached directly to an exposed surface of a casing surrounding thecooling gel layer 106.

The absorbent pad or layer 104 is positioned beneath the outer surfaceof layer 102 in order to absorb fluids that may be secreted by theuser's body during use. The absorbent pad or layer 104 can also preventdirect contact of the cooling gel layer 106 with the user's skin, thusavoiding injury and providing an initial level of insulation andproviding a gradual cooling sensation. The absorbent pad or layer 104may be constructed from a variety of different materials and maycomprise one or more layers of material. According to one embodiment,the absorbent pad or layer 104 is comprised of cotton or other naturalfiber having a high degree of liquid absorbance. Alternatively, or inaddition, the absorbent pad or layer 104 may include synthetic absorbentmaterials such as liquid absorbing polymer particles. Particles may beencased within a liquid absorbent and/or liquid permeable casing. Asliquids absorbed by the absorbent pad or layer 104 tend to be moreconductive of heat and cold than the absorbent pad or layer 104, theabsorption of bodily fluid may increase the flow of heat through theabsorbent pad or layer 104 and thereby enhance the cooling effect of thecooling gel layer 106.

The cooling gel layer 106 may include any cooling gel capable of beingplaced in a cooling environment and then provide a cooling effect overan extended period of time (e.g., at least about 15 minutes, or at leastabout 30 minutes, or at least about 45 minutes, or at least about 1hour). An appropriate cooling gel may be enclosed within a liquidimpermeable casing, such as a plastic pouch.

An example of a cooling gel is a composition that includes water, salt,and a gelling agent, such as cellosize (hydroxyethyl cellulose). The gelmay also include colorants (e.g., green or blue) and preservatives. Ananti-freeze material, such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, orisopropyl alcohol, may be added in order to soften the cooled gel andrender it more flexible or moldable after being cooled in a freezer. Theamount of anti-freeze material can be varied to provide a desired levelof flexibility and/or moldability of the product when cooled to freezing(e.g., below 32° F. or 0° C.). Some amount of congealing of the watermay be desirable as allowing water to undergo a phase change mayincrease the overall ability of the cooling gel to provide a desiredcooling effect.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to include freezable coolingparticles or beads within a flexible casing. Freezable cooling particlesor beads may be comprised of hollow plastic or glass spheres thatcontain water or salt water without an anti-freeze material (or arelatively small amount of anti-freeze material). This permits the waterin the particles or pellets to freeze and/or be cooled to below 0° C.without self-adhering. This, in turn, permits the overall cooling packto remain flexible and conformable to the user's body after being cooledin a freezer.

The cooling layer 106 may alternatively include a two part chemicalcooling media that can supplement and/or replace cooling by a freezablecooling gel. Two part chemical cooling media known in the art can beused.

The adhesive layer 108 may comprise a variety of different adhesivematerials known in the art. According to one embodiment, the adhesivematerial is able to maintain adequate adhesion to a user's undergarmenteven at cool or cold temperatures. Cool temperatures within arefrigerator are typically between 33-45° F. (0.5-10° C.). Coldtemperatures within a freezer are typically between 0-32° F. (−20-0°C.). To protect the adhesive and/or prevent self-adhesion of adjacentcooling pads, the adhesive layer 108 may include a removable backinglayer, such as a strip of polymer coated paper or a polymer sheet. Theremovable backing layer may include a laterally extending tab (notshown) that assists the user in removing the backing layer prior to use.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show bottom (or undergarment facing) views ofdifferently sized feminine cooling pads 100 showing the adhesive strip108 that is designed to be oriented toward the user's undergarment. Theadhesive strip 108 advantageously covers a majority of the undergarmentfacing surface of the cooling pad in order to maximize the area ofinterface between the adhesive strip 108 and the undergarment. Thisenhances the ability of the adhesive strip 108 to adhere and maintainthe cooling pad 100 in a desired orientation relative to the user'sundergarment and body during use. According to one embodiment, a portionof absorbent pad 104 and/or enclosure 110 may extend beyond the adhesivestrip 108 in order to capture additional body fluids that may beexcreted by the user's body.

According to one embodiment, the corners of the cooling pad may berounded in order to prevent the corners of a relatively rigid coolingpad from poking or otherwise irritating the user's body during placementand use. Rounding the corners of the feminine cooling pad may beparticularly useful in the case where the cooling layer becomes rigidwhen frozen.

The cooling pad may assume other configurations in order to maximizecomfort to the user. As discussed above, in the case where the femininecooling pad is desired to wrap around a user's crotch, it may bedesirable for the cooling pad to have a curved (e.g., U-shaped)configuration prior to use. This reduces or eliminates the amount ofbending that must be performed during placement of the relatively rigiddevice over a woman's body. This, in turn, maximizes comfort of theproduct and compliance by the user.

The feminine cooling pads can have a variety of different sizes and/orthicknesses to provide a desired level of comfort, cooling abilityand/or coverage. According to one embodiment, a “light” cooling pad mayhave a length of about 6 inches and a width of about 2 inches. Accordingto another embodiment, an “ultra” cooling pad may have a length of about9 inches and a width of about 3 inches.

Nevertheless, it will be appreciated that the cross sectional area anddimensions can be selected depending on the intended use. According toone embodiment, the length can be in a range of about 4 inches to about12 inches, or about 5 inches to about 10 inches, or about 6 inches toabout 9 inches. According to another embodiment, the width can be in arange of about 1 inch to about 4 inches, or about 1.5 inch to about 3.5inches, or about 2 inches to about 3 inches.

According to one embodiment, the cross sectional thickness of theabsorbent layer in a “light” cooling pad may be about ⅛ inch and thecross sectional thickness of the cooling gel layer may be about ¼ inch.According to another embodiment, the cross sectional thickness of theabsorbent layer in an “ultra” cooling pad may be about ¼ inch and thecross sectional thickness of the cooling gel layer may be about ½ inch.

Nevertheless, it will be appreciated that the cross sectionalthicknesses of the absorbent layer and cooling gel layer can be selecteddepending on the intended use. According to one embodiment, the crosssectional thickness of the absorbent layer can be in a range of about1/16 inch to about ½ inch, or about 3/32 inch to about ⅜ inch, or about⅛ inch to about ¼ inch. According to another embodiment, the crosssectional thickness of the cooling gel layer can be in a range of about⅛ inch to about ¾ inch, or about 3/16 inch to about ⅝ inch, or about ¼inch to about ½ inch.

In addition to the foregoing, it is possible to provide a microwaveablematerial as a separate layer or as part of the cooling layer. Themicrowaveable material permits the cooling pad to also function as aheating pad when it is desired to provide heat instead of and/or priorto and/or subsequent to cooling. According to one embodiment, themicrowaveable material includes an organic product such as rice or othergrain that can become hot when placed into a microwave. It is generallydesirable to cool the perineum for the first 24-48 hours post partum,and apply heat 48 hours post partum.

Alternatively, the heating pad may include a two part chemical heatingmedia that can supplement and/or replace heating by a microwaveablematerial. Two part chemical heating media known in the art can be used.

The feminine cooling pads disclosed herein can be used to alleviate painand discomfort caused by a wide variety of feminine ailments, such aspain and discomfort of the vulva, perineum, and surrounding regions.Such discomfort can have a variety of causes, including but not limitedto, vaginal itching and burning as a result of infection (e.g., yeastinfection), urethral pain or inflammation as a result of infection(e.g., urinary tract infection), vaginal varicosity, which may involveformation of varicose veins in the vulva or vagina during pregnancy dueto increased pressure by the fetus that prevents adequate blooddrainage, damage to the perineum following child birth, or chronicinflammation (e.g., atopic dermatitis).

The invention can be embodied as a kit of single-use absorbent pads(e.g., 10-25) and one or more reusable cooling gel packs that can beinserted and removed from a compartment within each pad. This permits acooling gel pack to be removed from a used pad and inserted into a freshpad (e.g., through a slit down the side of the absorbent pad). Closuremeans can be used to retain the cooling gel pack within the compartmentof the pad during use. In the case where the kit includes multiplesingle-use absorbent pads and two cooling gel packs, one gel pack can beplaced in the freezer while the other one is in use. When the userdecides to use a fresh cooling pad, the cooling gel pack is removed fromthe used pad and placed into the freezer, and the cold gel pack isremoved and placed into a fresh pad. This process can be repeatedindefinitely for any number of fresh absorbent pads. A similar processof use and replacement can be used to serially refresh warming pads asdisclosed herein.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A feminine cooling pad that remains flexible whencooled in a freezer comprising: a liquid absorbent layer configured tobe oriented toward a user's skin and absorb bodily fluids or dischargesduring use; and a cooling layer adjacent to the liquid absorbent layerthat can be repeatedly placed in a cooling environment prior to use andwhich will subsequently provide a cooling effect for a period of time ofat least about 15 minutes when the cooling pad is placed against auser's skin, wherein the cooling layer remains flexible when cooled to atemperature below 0° C. in order for the cooling layer to be conformableto a user's body.
 2. A feminine cooling pad as in claim 1, wherein theliquid absorbent layer comprises a cotton absorbent pad.
 3. A femininecooling pad as in claim 1, wherein the liquid absorbent layer has across sectional thickness in a range of about 1/16 inch to about ½ inch.4. A feminine cooling pad as in claim 1, wherein the cooling layercomprises a cooling gel material enclosed within a polymer casing.
 5. Afeminine cooling pad as in claim 4, wherein the cooling gel material isformulated so as to remain flexible or moldable at a temperature in arange of about 0° F. to about 32° F.
 6. A feminine cooling pad as inclaim 1, wherein the cooling layer has a cross sectional thickness in arange of about ⅛ inch to about ¾ inch.
 7. A feminine cooling pad as inclaim 1, wherein the cooling layer comprises a plurality of particles orbeads that become individually rigid but do not self adhere when frozen.8. A feminine cooling pad as in claim 1, further comprising a liquidpermeable layer adjacent to a side of the liquid absorbent layeropposite to a side that is adjacent to the cooling layer.
 9. A femininecooling pad as in claim 8, wherein the liquid permeable layer comprisesa cotton woven material.
 10. A feminine cooling pad as in claim 1,further comprising an adhesive strip adjacent to a side of the coolinggel layer opposite to a side that is adjacent to the liquid absorbentlayer, wherein the adhesive strip further includes a removable backinglayer.
 11. A feminine cooling pad as in claim 10, wherein the adhesivestrip includes a layer of adhesive material that remains adhesive whencooled to a temperature between about 33° F. to about 45° F.
 12. Afeminine cooling pad as in claim 1, wherein the feminine cooling pad hasa length in a range of about 4 inches to about 12 inches and a width ina range of about 1 inch to about 4 inches.
 13. A kit for use in seriallyrefreshing a cooling pad comprising a plurality of liquid absorbentlayers and at least two cooling layers as in claim 1, and wherein eachliquid absorbent layer includes an inter compartment for holding acooling layer therein, and wherein the cooling layer is removable fromthe liquid absorbent layer during use so that a used liquid absorbentlayer can be discarded and the cooling gel layer reused with a freshliquid absorbent layer.
 14. A feminine cooling pad comprising: a liquidpermeable layer configured to be oriented toward a user's skin duringuse; a liquid absorbent layer adjacent to the liquid permeable layer andconfigured to absorb bodily fluids or discharges during use; a coolinglayer adjacent to the liquid absorbent layer that is configured toprovide a cooling effect for a period of time of at least about 15minutes when the cooling pad is placed against a user's skin; and anadhesive layer adjacent to the cooling layer for adhering the femininecooling pad to a user's clothing during use and maintaining the coolingpad in a desired orientation relative to the user's body.
 15. A femininecooling pad as in claim 14, wherein the adhesive layer includes a stripof adhesive material that remains adhesive when cooled to a temperaturebetween about 33° F. to about 45° F. and a removable backing layer forprotecting the strip of adhesive material prior to use.
 16. A femininecooling pad as in claim 14, wherein the cooling layer includes a coolinggel pack that can be repeatedly placed in a cooling environment prior touse and that remains flexible and conformable to a user's body whencooled to a temperature below 0° C.
 17. A feminine cooling pad as inclaim 14, wherein the cooling layer includes a two part chemical coolingcomposition that provides cooling upon mixing two components together.18. A feminine cooling pad as in claim 14, further comprising amicrowaveable material that becomes hot when placed into a microwaveoven and which permits the feminine cooling pad to alternatively provideheating instead of cooling.
 19. A method of cooling a vulva or adjacenttissue of a woman comprising, obtaining a feminine cooling pad as inclaim 14; causing the cooling layer to become cool or frozen; placingthe cooling pad adjacent to a region of a user's body; and causing orallowing the adhesive layer to adhere to an article of clothing worn bythe user in order to hold or maintain the cooling pad in a relativelyfixed orientation relative to the region of the user's body.
 20. Amethod of warming a vulva or adjacent tissue of a woman comprising,obtaining a feminine heating pad; causing the feminine heating pad tobecome warm or hot; placing the heating pad adjacent to a region of auser's body; and causing or allowing an adhesive layer to adhere to anarticle of clothing worn by the user in order to hold or maintain theheating pad in a relatively fixed orientation relative to the region ofthe user's body.